Montgomery Travelers Soccer Club

Travel Program Overview

We're glad you're interested in the MTSC Travel Program for your child.

Tryouts will be held at the following dates and times, for the travel teams that will play September 2025 - June 2026. Your player is encouraged to attend both tryouts, but one is sufficient.
Locations:
March 26 EDP tryouts: Iron Peak Sports (outdoor turf field), 137 Mountain View Rd, Hillsborough
All other tryouts: Mill Pond Soccer Complex, 11 Mill Pond Rd, Belle Mead

*NEW for 2015 and 2016 Boys ONLY: The first team for these age groups is designated an EDP team for our most advanced players. These teams have a higher level of included playing time, and higher fees (please scroll down for a comparison). You'll register for a 2015 or 2016 Boys tryout, and you're welcome to have your player attend the EDP tryouts, the regular team tryouts, or both.

MTSC Spring 2025 Tryouts for 2025-2026 Travel Teams
Girls Tryout Schedule
Birth Year	25-26 Age	Tryout 1	Tryout 2
2018 Girls	U8G	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2017 Girls	U9G	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2016 Girls	U10G	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2015 / 2014 Girls	U12G	Tue Apr 22 6:30 - 7:45	Thu Apr 24 6:30 - 7:45
2013 / 2012 Girls	U14G	Tue Apr 22 6:30 - 7:45	Thu Apr 24 6:30 - 7:45

Boys Tryout Schedule
2018 Boys	U8B	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2017 Boys	U9B	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2016 EDP* Boys	U10B EDP	Wed Mar 26 6:30 - 7:30 (at Iron Peak)	Thu Apr 3 5:15 - 6:30
2016 Boys	U10B	Tue Apr 8 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 10 5:15 - 6:30
2015 EDP* Boys	U11B EDP	Wed Mar 26 7:30 - 8:30 (at Iron Peak)	Thu Apr 3 6:30 - 7:45
2015 Boys	U11B	Tue Apr 8 6:30 - 7:45	Thu Apr 10 6:30 - 7:45
2014 Boys	U12B	Tue Apr 22 6:30 - 7:45	Thu Apr 24 6:30 - 7:45
2013 Boys	U13B	Tue Apr 22 6:30 - 7:45	Thu Apr 24 6:30 - 7:45
2012 Boys	U14B	Tue Apr 22 5:15 - 6:30	Thu Apr 24 5:15 - 6:30
2011 HS Boys	U15B	Tue Apr 29 6:30 - 7:45	Thu May 1 6:30 - 7:45
2010/09 HS Boys	U17B	Wed Apr 30 6:30 - 7:15	Fri May 2 6:30 - 7:15

The Travel Program is for experienced players who have participated in our Rec program, enjoyed it, and want to learn the finer points of the game in real game settings against well-matched players from other nearby towns. Players with experience from other clubs' travel programs are also welcome to try out.

"Travel" means that half the games will be played here at Mill Pond, and half away, within about a 1 hour drive. We don't participate in leagues that require long distance travel or overnight hotels.

Our program provides the opportunity for younger players to learn the fundamentals of soccer and teamwork, while experiencing the fun that these accomplishments can offer. As players progress in age and skill, they are taught more advanced levels of soccer, compete at higher levels, and enjoy the self-satisfaction that this growth brings.

Please scroll down for more details on timelines, tryout criteria, fees, and expectations.

Register for a tryout by clicking the links below, then "Log In" or "My Account" button at the top of the page, select the 2025-26 Travel Program, and complete the registration all the way through to checkout. You will receive an immediate email confirmation.

Registration Listing

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The Tryout Process

Travel Team Year: Teams are formed in the spring for the following playing year, which runs from September to June. For this reason, you are strongly encouraged to register for a tryout in April, as tryouts for later registrants will only be given if there is a remaining roster spot in an age group.

Joining a Travel Team: Tryouts are held well in advance because joining a travel team is a multi-step process:
(1: March - April) You log in to your account to register your player for a tryout (free). Your registration confirmation will contain the date, time, and location of the tryouts.
(2: April) Your player attends the tryout session (preferably 2).
(3: May) If your player passes the tryout, we will extend an offer to join the travel program.
(4: May) You log in to your account within 72 hours to accept the offer, upload documents, and pay fees.
(5: June) We set you up with team communication, and hold a team kickoff meeting.
(6: July) You order a uniform.
(7: August) The practice schedule is published.
(8: September) The fall match schedule is published; team begins practices and matches.

Tryouts are Required: Participation requires a tryout to ensure the player has the required skills to support his/her team and has the confidence to enjoy playing with the team. You must register for a tryout (free), then based on the result of the tryout your child will be invited to join the program. Players (including current team players) should attend 2 tryouts if possible, where they are evaluated and ranked. That said, your child is not expected to be a World Cup contender in order to join!

No Harm in Trying!: If you're considering travel, please register for a tryout even if you think your child might not pass the tryout... there is no harm in trying! If he/she does not pass the tryout, our Director of Coaching or Rec coaches will be happy to discuss what he/she can work on for next time.

Tryout Schedule: Our primary tryouts are conducted in April / early May. We hold more tryouts in June for younger players who may need the spring Rec season to prepare for tryouts. After that, when you register for a tryout we will contact you to let you know if a roster spot is available for your child's age group, and if so, arrange a tryout session.

The Offer: If successful with the tryout, within a week or so you will receive an email offer to join the age group roster. The offer expires in 72 hours so that we can offer that roster spot to another player. Before accepting your player's offer, please understand the financial, time, and effort commitment you and your player are making, as described below.

Fees and Financial Commitment

MTSC is a non-profit Club, not a for-profit business. We set our travel fees by estimating the costs, and dividing by the number of expected players. By accepting your offer, you are committing to the other members of the Club that you will shoulder your fair share of the expenses and work to run a fulfilling Travel Program for our children.

Fee Commitment: When you accept the offer, you will have the option to pay the full annual fee (which covers fall and spring), or break it up into 3 installments: 1/3 immediately, 1/3 by Sept 1, and 1/3 by Nov 1. Because your player is taking a roster spot that could have gone to someone else, fees are nonrefundable for any reason except major injury as evidenced by medical records. If you choose a payment plan, you are still committing to the full annual program, and to making all 3 payments.

Annual Travel Fee and included activities:

	Regular Teams	EDP Teams	High School Teams
Seasons:	Fall + Spring (winter optional)	Fall, Winter, and Spring	Winter and Spring
Annual Fee:	$ 1,670	$ 2,525	$ 1,230
Fall:
HS Tryout Warmups (Aug)			included
Kickoff practices (Sep)	included	included
Tournament (Sep)	included	included
Games (Sep-Nov)	10 MNJYSA league	10 EDP league
Weekly practices (Sep-Nov)	2 + bonus Mondays	2+ bonus Mondays
Additional tournament		included
State Cup competition		included
Winter:
Weekly practice	optional (additional fee)	included	included
Weekly league	optional (additional fee)	included	included
Spring:
Weekly practices (Mar)	included	included	included
Games (Mar-Jun)	10 MNJYSA league	10 EDP league	included
Weekly practices (Apr-Jun)	2 + bonus Mondays	2+ bonus Mondays	included
Additional tournament	optional (additional fee)	included

The fee does not include:
- The uniform, which costs about $ 150 and must be replaced in even-numbered years.
- Indoor winter practices or indoor futsal or turf games in January and February; these are completely optional and at additional cost (except for EDP and HS-aged teams). This allows players who wish to play another sport in the winter to do so.
- Additional opportunities (such as more tournaments) that may be organized as the parents, team manager, and coach agree. These are optional and at additional cost.

Commitment and Expectations

Travel soccer differs from Rec in that you and your player are making a significant commitment to the Club and your team. Every player on the team has a more rewarding experience, and develops more quickly, when every player and parent honors that commitment.

Attendance and Timeliness: Except for compelling reasons (e.g. school event, health, family vacation), your player is expected to be at every practice (on the field and ready to play at the start time), and every match (home or away, on the field ready to warm up 30 minutes before the match start time).

Match Scheduling: Matches will vary in start time from week to week, usually on Sunday (Saturday for U8), but occasionally on a Saturday (Sunday for U8). Your team manager will work with opposing teams to determine match times as far in advance as possible, but occasionally you may not know the start time of a match until just a few days prior.

Practice Scheduling: Generally, practices are either 5:30 or 7:00, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, each week. You will be informed as to your team's practice schedule about a month before the start of each season. Because we are juggling coach and field availability, we cannot use parent preference to set or change practice times.

TeamSnap: Before the start of the season in September, you will receive instructions on how to download and use TeamSnap, the app we use to communicate amongst parents and coaches on each team. This is where you will get practice and match times / locations (with maps), and be able to chat with parents to ask questions, arrange carpools, organize parties, etc. Most importantly, parents must update the availability of players for every match and practice so that the coach can plan (for example, finding players to fill in for absent players). Everyone forgets occasionally, but a parent who chronically fails or changes availability at the last minute impacts the whole team, and may result in a warning or reduction in that player's match minutes.

Parent Volunteers: Each team must designate volunteer parents to fill the following roles:
- Assistant Coach: helps the primary coach on the sideline during games, acts as backup if the primary coach is delayed or absent.
- Team Manager: represents the team at Club meetings, ensures team is running smoothly
- Team Scheduler: coordinates with coach, Club scheduler, and opponents to set match times and update TeamSnap
- Game Day Coordinator: brings equipment, match card, player and coach passes, and referee fees to matches
- Score Reporter: updates scores during matches; ensures scores are accurately reported to the league

Team Formation, Flighting, and Playing Up

Formation of teams --- The Club follows USYS mandates for team sizes, ages, and field sizes. This includes high school age teams which are typically Winter/Spring teams. Per USYS rules, travel teams are based on birth year, not school grade.

"Green" teams -- Depending on enrollment, there will be 1 or 2 teams at each age group and gender. If there are 2 teams, one will be flighted against tougher opponents, and the other (Green) against easier opponents. Players will be assigned to play primarily to one team or the other based on skill level and effort, but may occasionally play for the other team as needs and development warrant. These decisions are made by the coach in consultation with the Director of Coaching; parent or player preference is not part of the criteria. When you accept an offer, you are accepting an offer to the age group, not to a team.

Roster Size -- The Club recommends a minimum of 11 players for “7v7” teams, 13 for "9v9" teams and 15 for the older “11v11” teams. Experience indicates these numbers allow for absences, needed substitutions, and are reasonable numbers to still be able to provide adequate playing time for all players.

Flighting -- Teams are "flighted" with like teams in the league, the goal being that the team wins about half the time. Winning too little is frustrating for the players; winning too much is boring and prevents development of good play habits. Each season, teams will move up or down in flight based on their win/loss record the prior season.

Playing Up -- MTSC encourages players to play on teams of the appropriate age and ability. Typically, that is the age based upon their date of birth. USYS rules allows "playing up" one year, but an older player may never "play down". Players significantly ahead in their development for their age may try out and play for an older team if it is appropriate for their development. If you would like to request your child to "play up", please discuss with the Director of Coaching, who makes all decisions regarding this.

The only other situation where a younger player may be invited to play for an older team is if the player does not make their age appropriate team(s), or that team's roster is already full, and the Club is considering forming an older team of similar abilities and that team needs players to complete its roster.